


Uncertainty Propagation

by Polyglyph



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, 痛いのは嫌なので防御力に極振りしたいと思います。| BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt so I'll Max Out My Defense. (Anime)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Magical Girls, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26850916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyglyph/pseuds/Polyglyph
Summary: For Risa Shiramine, fantasy and role-playing games had been her chosen pastime for years. So when life first began to resemble the games she loved, it wasn’t really a problem. Now it was. Now she was miles away from home, just trying to keep her friends alive.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Before you start reading, please know that there WILL be spoilers for both series, if you want a better understanding of what's going on, I recommend having watched both TV shows. Their genres are pretty incompatible, but all the same, they're both very entertaining in their own ways.
> 
> With that out of the way, let's get started! Enjoy!

Her friend pouted at her from the screen of the tablet propped between her monitors. It was an adorable expression, and in any other situation, she would have caved by now. "But it's been almost two weeks, Risa. Maple Tree's not the same without you."

Kaede was giving her a pleading look, and Risa glanced away from the screen in guilt. "I know. I promise I'll log back on soon, but I really can't tonight." No matter how much she wanted to spend time with Kaede, no matter how much she missed conquering players and exploring the virtual landscapes of New World Online, tonight was simply out of the question.

"You said the same thing Monday," Kaede tried. "And tomorrow's Friday. There's even a new event this weekend."

Risa didn't know what to say. All she could do was apologize. "I'm sorry. It's something I can't get out of."

There was silence between them, Risa not wanting to end the call. Not like this. Not with Kaede upset with her. But as the quiet stretched on, Risa returned her eyes to the video screen. Now it was Kaede looking away.

"Do you..." She trailed off for a moment, unsure how to continue. "Do you not like this game anymore?"

Risa blinked back her surprise, then laughed a bit. "No, silly, it's nothing like that. Okay, look." She took a breath and gathered her thoughts. She didn't want to make a promise she couldn't keep. That's why she would try extra hard to make this one a reality. "Saturday night. Let's have a sleepover at my place, okay? We'll stay up all night exploring Level Three."

Kaede lit up at the proposal. "You mean it?"

Risa gave her a confident nod. "Yeah. I mean it. It’s not fair to keep you waiting. I'll clear my schedule, and we’ll—" A whimpering sound near her desk interrupted her. She began to panic slightly as Kaede's brow furrowed, but she forced a smile and picked up where she left off. "We’ll meet up after dinner. So this Saturday, for sure. Hold me to it, okay?"

"Okay, but—"

"Sorry, Kaede. I have to go. This Saturday, promise!"

"Risa, wai—" She ended the call and let out a sigh. Hanging up on her was the last thing she'd wanted, but best to play it safe. She'd come up with an excuse for when they saw each other at school tomorrow.

Risa leaned back in her chair. "I told you not to say anything while I was on the phone," she said, looking down at the floor beside her. The white fox sitting there tilted its head and whined again, putting its paw on her foot. "I know, I know." She sighed and glanced at the door, then at the clock on her desk. It wasn't terribly late, but her mother probably wouldn't question it if she were to turn in early.

As she stood, the fox made its way to her bed, hopped on the mattress, and waited near the window. Risa pressed a single button to turn off the monitors, then walked over and killed the lights. And then just to be sure, she opened the door, poked her head out, and called to her parents downstairs. "Goodnight, Mom! Goodnight, Dad!” Her parents called back to bid her goodnight.

Promptly shutting the door, she walked over to her closet and removed an old pair of trainers. Then, after putting them on, she went to the window. "Ready, Oboro?" The small fox yipped in reply. She pet his head gently. "Tonight's gonna be different. I can feel it." She stared at the silver ring on her right hand, smiling to herself. Then she opened the window as quietly as she could. Oboro snuck through, followed by Risa, who balanced on the outer sill as she closed it. Then she leapt to the ground, landing easily beside the small fox.

She cast a final glance back at the house. No change. She could still see the living room light filtered through the blinds. With any luck, she’d be back before they even went to bed. Hopefully.

The pair snuck down the street, Risa keeping watch for cars or late night stragglers, especially neighbors or anyone else who might recognize her. Once she was a block or two away, she opened her left palm. The ring on her second finger shone blue, spiraled apart, and reformed in her hand as a round lapis set in a silver stand.

She stared at it carefully, worried at its color. She remembered when it was bright azure nearly two weeks ago, and dark cobalt just last week. Now it was murky, like someone had spilled black ink onto a navy swatch on a palette. Worse yet, she could _feel_ the toll it was taking on her magic. Had for the past few days. Definitely not good. She couldn’t let this continue. Tonight, she wasn't going home without a Grief Seed.

Kyubey had told her the basics before her wish. Fight witches, collect Grief Seeds, clean your Soul Gem. Rinse and repeat. And he’d warned her that a sullied Soul Gem was a liability. But Kyubey hadn’t exactly stuck around after the contract.

Not that she could blame him.

The problem was, he hadn’t mentioned any strategies or tips for _finding_ witches, and she’d never thought to ask. That was proving to be a costly mistake. She’d gone out hunting just about every night, but she only ever found familiars. Familiars which were still dangerous and needed to be dealt with, but of course never dropped any Grief Seeds. And over the span of two weeks, fighting them was becoming more and more like a grueling dungeon grind with no chance to resupply before the boss. Far from an ideal scenario.

Not to mention, bosses were always more difficult than their minions. She had yet to face an actual witch, and if she found one tonight, she was guaranteed to be at a disadvantage. Her magic was already strained and exhausted. The only silver lining was that she wasn’t alone.

She had Oboro, after all.

The fox looked at her, waiting patiently on her shoulder. He let out a small whine, and Risa pet him with her free hand. “We’ll be fine.” He licked her fingers and she smiled at him. Then, she began again down the street, heading in the direction of the school.

She crossed a couple of roads, zig-zagging and taking detours in an attempt to pick up a witch’s signal. When she made it to the school gate, she walked the campus perimeter. No luck. Next she decided to scout the retail districts, thinking that maybe witches hid near more populated areas.

Half an hour later, she was in the town square, surrounded by short, wide buildings with glass storefronts. There were a few bars and restaurants still open, and she took care when passing them to be quick and inconspicuous. She walked down the sidewalk probably a kilometer or so, turned and crossed two streets over, then turned and headed in the opposite direction. She wasn’t worried about getting lost; she knew this area pretty well, and she trusted her sense of direction, and even if that failed, she had the GPS on her phone. But no matter where or how far she went, her Soul Gem never glowed. All the while, Oboro stayed quiet on her shoulder, staring at the jewel in her hand.

After finding zilch in the busier areas of town, she ventured back into the subdivisions. It wasn’t until she was ready to give up and proceed with Plan B that her Soul Gem started giving off a faint light.

Finally.

She followed the trail, steps quickening, not wanting to let it get away. This was going to be the one. A turn here, a straightaway there, and soon her Soul Gem, though still dark and tainted, was enveloped in a bright blue halo. The trail led to the back of an old, boarded-up shop, and Oboro jumped from her shoulder, taking a ready stance at her side.

She looked around, and confirmed the coast was clear. Raising her hand, she pushed with her magic, and the labyrinth seal responded, a yellow glyph appearing before her. There was a pair of wavy lines, top and bottom, that merged into the outer circle. On the inside, those lines spiraled like drills to the center, while squares and triangles haphazardly filled the empty space, arrayed in discontinuous, sweeping arcs.

“You ready?” she asked. Oboro barked once, then growled at the sigil. “All right, then. Let’s go.” They jumped through the gate together.

She landed on a sandy island, surrounded by violent whirlpools. The sky was red, and large tilted rings of floating black and white squares spun around the island. Above her, simple shapes combined to form inverted boats, pacing back and forth across a transparent sea. In each boat, a single human-like doll with domino eyes and saw-tooth hair made of blades.

Per usual, the labyrinth was off-putting to say the least. But what bothered her most was the frustrating realization she had upon entering. The magic here was strong, sure. But not stronger than some of the other labyrinths she’d faced.

Which meant…this probably wasn’t a witch.

She’d have to end this quickly.

Risa triggered her transformation, her school clothes replaced in a vibrant teal cyclone of light. Her skirt and white shirt became blue shorts and a gray side-less turtleneck top, while her white trainers changed to black, knee-high boots. The outfit was completed with a silver breastplate, a dark blue scarf, and an open coat, gray with blue accents.

The moment she transformed, the labyrinth sprung to alertness. The airborne tiles grew and spun faster, and geysers erupted from the water in between the whirlpools.

She smirked, summoning a dagger to each hand. Time to get to work.

The first attack came from above. The sailor dolls began raining down a torrent of razors and shears, and Risa dashed about to avoid them. A quick glance at Oboro showed he was doing the same, dodging the raining projectiles with ease. She knew after the first few fights that she didn’t have to worry about him, even if she always would. When the familiars exhausted their weapons, the sailors brandished candy cane swords and flew down to attack.

Big mistake.

Risa stood her ground and met each oncoming attack with a parry, then with a slash, cutting through the familiars one after another. When a handful approached at once, Oboro leapt over her in a sideways spin, his tail igniting and sending a wall of fire at the oncoming targets. They vanished in the flames.

With the boats taken care of, mannequins began rising from the sand. Their heads were inverted pyramids, their arms made of chains. Risa didn’t give them a chance to approach. Dashing through their ranks, she cut down as many as she could, before they could even attack. Behind her, Oboro jumped into the fray and shot a steady onslaught of fireballs from his mouth as the familiars spawned, knocking them back and often burning them to ash. When Risa beheaded the last mannequin on her side, she regrouped with Oboro.

That’s when the ground began to shake, and waterspouts rose from the ocean around them. The rings of squares that circled the island suddenly dispersed in various directions, then accumulated at a single location just above the raging water. They came together, growing and changing shape, taking on recognizable features. First fins, then claws. The body grew a tail that curved like a snake, and at the tip appeared eyes and teeth.

Risa readied her daggers. When the snake-like appendage lunged, she leapt high into the air, dodging its strike and positioning herself above the neck. She focused hard on her magic. “Wind Cutter!” she exclaimed, swinging her daggers in succession. Two spinning discs shot out from her daggers’ blades, rapidly growing in size and flying at the monster. The first sliced cleanly through the tail; the second bisected the body. Its pieces shuddered, the tail immediately falling apart and into the water. The rest moved haphazardly, as if trying to reform. Risa landed and watched, panting from exertion and keeping her weapons at the ready, as clumps of black and white squares separated and disappeared into the foam. Eventually, the entire thing lost its shape.

The columns of water fell into the sea, and giant waves grew and surged inland. Risa’s eyes widened. “Oboro!” She dashed over and grabbed him, clutching him to her chest just as the water swept over them. A second later, she was submerged and tossed about by the currents.

Then the water stilled, and she floated there. Her feet touched the ground. The water disappeared.

She was back at the abandoned store.

Risa breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her partner. “You okay?” Oboro chirped in reply. She set him down on the ground, but he hopped to her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. Risa laughed. “I’m glad you’re safe too.” Her eyes skimmed the ground nearby. “Looks like I was right. It was just a familiar.” She dispelled her costume and summoned her Soul Gem.

She couldn’t keep going like this. She _needed_ a Grief Seed. But what was she supposed to do? She had been searching high and low for just shy of two weeks, and with nothing to show for it. Familiars were supposed to be the witches’ minions. With all the different familiars she’d faced, why hadn’t she seen a witch yet? Was her luck just that bad?

There _had_ to be an explanation. She’d have to ask Kyubey next time she found him.

“Thanks for the help, Oboro.” She reached up and scratched him behind the ears. “It’s gonna be a long night. Get some rest, okay?” The fox licked her cheek and gave a small bark. Then, his body began to glow until he was just a white silhouette. The light dispersed into particles that swirled and rushed towards her, merging with the ring on her right hand. The glow then disappeared, leaving Risa alone in the empty lot.

She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. 10 PM. Her earlier plan was to return home before her parents went to sleep, but that chance had gone out the window. She wasn’t going home without a Grief Seed. As far as she knew, the only way to get a Grief Seed was to fight and kill a witch. But before she could even do that, she had to find one first. And apparently, witches were nowhere to be found. Not anywhere in town, at least. So that led her to another option. A plan she’d come up with earlier this week. An idea she’d saved for when she was desperate.

Well, now she was desperate. It was time to expand her search.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here I am, new to AO3 and diving into not one, but two new fandoms. This crossover probably shouldn't exist, but for better or worse, it does now. Our two VR heroines are about to get a cold dose of fictional reality, and I'm not pulling any punches. Where is this going? Well, I have an outline and a few chapters already drafted. Beyond that? I suppose we'll find out together. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and see you next time.


	2. Chapter 2

She stepped off the train and onto the station platform, taking in her surroundings as she moved toward the exit. The arching ceilings of glass revealed a starry, cloudless sky. The platform walkways were a pristine chrome, lit by fixtures on the walls and in the floors. And nearby windows revealed buildings almost glittering with color, towering across the way. She’d visited big cities before, even Tokyo once, but none of them held a candle to the sight before her now. Seeing Mitakihara in person was almost like stepping into the future. It was serenely beautiful, imposing yet surreal. The kind of landscape that seemed more believable in an NWO level than in real life.

Her first thought was that she’d have to bring Kaede here someday.

Her second thought was that she’d made the right choice in coming here. There was a sense of magic in the air unlike anything she’d felt before. Expansive and foreboding, as if belonging to the city itself. It was almost tangible. Reaching out with her Soul Gem, she could sense more magical signatures than she could count, some of which she instinctively linked to other magical girls, despite feeling such magic for the first time. Some were obviously familiars, just like back home. But the rest, though ambient and indistinct, were noticeably darker and heavier. Presumably witches. _Hopefully_ witches.

She steeled herself and left the station with a grin on her face, ready to track down her prey. She summoned her Soul Gem and found it already glowing. The relief she felt was second only to her excitement.

It was late and people were scarce, but even so, she made her way outside to an inconspicuous spot before transforming. Normally back home, she would have tried to be conservative with her magic. Especially with her Soul Gem in its current state. But with the sheer prevalence of magic in Mitakihara, she wasn’t too concerned. Not to mention, she’d already locked on to the signal of a witch or familiar, and there were numerous more in case this one failed her. Unlike before, now she was confident she’d find a Grief Seed before exhausting her magic.

Risa took off at a quick pace, boosting her speed with a little magic. First away from the station, then into nearby streets. Occasionally she stopped to check her Soul Gem, just to make sure she was heading in the right direction. The houses around her were quaint and wore a simple but polished look. From the architecture alone, the almost artistic designs, she knew they had to be pretty pricey. Then she passed over a bridge and down several blocks, inching further away from the more residential areas and keeping an eye on her Soul Gem. At one point she stopped on a hill and could see a wide swath of the nearby city proper. In another direction was a fairly large waterway leading to the harbor, with spanning bridges crossing above at regular intervals. Another look at her Gem. It glowed brightly.

She kept going.

In ten, maybe fifteen minutes, she had finally tracked it down. She found herself, somewhat surprisingly, at a middle school, though it didn’t resemble any middle school she’d ever seen. It loomed wide before her, with glass windows lining the front edifice on every floor and two large spires at the ends of the roof. She took one last look at her Soul Gem, confirming she’d found it.

“Time to wake up, Oboro,” she whispered. She sent a nudging thought to the fox, and the Bridge of Bonds on her middle finger glowed, summoning Oboro to her side. He stretched once, then took a defensive posture. Risa held out her Soul Gem and probed the nearby labyrinth with her magic, revealing its seal. She looked at it cautiously, wondering as always if there were any meaning to the shapes and patterns of the glowing sigil. This one was blue with longs strips connected to what appeared to be a ribbon. Below that, a sword? But no hilt. Surrounding those were weaving lines and thin pegs and other shapes she couldn’t recognize, some which looked like letters from a strange alphabet. She didn’t know what to make of any of it.

She looked down at Oboro. “Ready?” He barked once, attempting to look aggressive but he was too cute to do so. Risa chuckled and summoned her trademark daggers to her hands. Together, they bound forward into the labyrinth.

And then they were falling.

The labyrinth greeted them with an endless blue expanse, cluttered with clotheslines and flying desks. She grabbed onto one of the lines, feeling it bend to catch her. Quickly pinpointing a nearby desk, she used her momentum to swing herself towards it, landing in a crouch and grabbing hold of it for stability. She looked for Oboro in the chaos, and found he’d also managed to land on a desk, one not too far away. She sighed in relief and took in her surroundings.

The air was thick with dark magic and a heaviness she’d never felt. This _had_ to be a witch. All around her, there was only blue sky, dotted with clouds above and below. No ground. Pinned to the clotheslines were pieces of generic school uniforms—blouses with bows and shirts with ties, flapping in the strong wind. Odd familiars shaped like ice skates with eyes glided on the lines, occasionally rotating as if unbound by gravity. Some of the flying desks moved together in groups, others moved about on their own, but they didn’t seem otherwise dangerous. Some even seemed to follow a path, never changing direction, almost like in orbit.

Or maybe it _was_ an orbit. Looking up, she found the witch at its center. A monstrous torso wearing a navy skirt and matching shirt, a red bow at the neck. There was no head or legs, only large, protruding arms. Two growing out from the skirt, five from the top.

She knew it was no time to gawk, so she focused and tried to think of a way to reach her target. But it was unsettling, seeing a witch for the first time. Its bizarre, human-like appearance put her on edge. All the familiars she’d faced had looked nothing like this. They more resembled animals or objects or weird fusions of the two. The change was disconcerting. She tried to push past it.

She looked again over at Oboro, thinking she should probably go to him first. She knew he could take care of himself, but she’d feel better if he was with her. Unfortunately, there was no simple way to cross the gap. She’d have to use her surroundings.

From above, flying, dismembered hands began to rain down from out of the witch’s skirt. Risa jumped from desk to desk, sending slashes and gusts of wind to cut through or divert the projectiles before they got close. One more ricochet maneuver and she landed next to Oboro, who wasted no time jumping onto her shoulder. Then she leapt out of the path of more incoming hands.

She needed to get closer to use Wind Cutter, and she didn’t know how many more times she could even use it. With only daggers against a long-range enemy, she was definitely at a disadvantage. Time to get creative.

The attacks came again, but she deftly avoided them, hopping from platform to platform and swinging herself from the clotheslines while avoiding the familiars. Risa began climbing higher and higher to put herself on a more even plane with the witch, and as she did, she went on the attack, throwing a dagger and accelerating it with a powerful gust of wind. It found its target, piercing clean through the witch. As she moved, she threw the other one in the same manner, then recalling the first, which manifested in her hand in a burst of light. She continued the pattern, dodging and attacking, steadily gaining altitude. The witch screeched in response to her assault, but she moved too quickly for the witch’s projectiles to find their mark.

That’s when she made a mistake, thinking only the flying hands could attack. When she got too close, one of the lower arms reached out and grabbed her mid-leap, right in the interval where she was missing her daggers. The hand clenched and squeezed her, and Risa screamed in pain, trying to enhance her strength with magic to keep from being crushed. Oboro came to the rescue, dashing up the forearm and lighting the elbow upward with a breath of fire. It spread quickly, and the witch let go, dropping Risa and letting her fall.

“Oboro!” she screamed. She had to get up there! There were no immediate desks or clotheslines below her, so with a split-second decision, before she had even fallen a few meters, she summoned her magic. A cone of green and blue rings formed below her, and when she landed center of the topmost ring, the others collapsed into it and launched her upward with a burst of air.

She landed against the underside of the forearm and thrust her daggers into the witch’s flesh, burying them up to the hilt. Then she used them to flip herself over and onto the burning arm. Oboro was already near and jumped back to her shoulder just as the other arm approached, its hand reaching out to grab her again. This time she was ready.

Leaping out of the way and in the direction of the nearest platform, she shouted, “Wind Cutter!” and sent the first spinning blade of air through the wrist, chopping off the hand. The second blade was aimed higher and severed the upper arm near the top of the skirt. The large dismembered hand and arm went limp and fell slowly into the sky. The other arm was almost completely engulfed in flames.

Risa landed on a desk and stood at the ready, trying to calm her breathing. More falling hands came at her, catching fire as they descended. She planned her path and quickly escaped out of the line of attack, climbing once again towards the witch.

She was reaching her limit, she realized. Leaping from point to point was getting exhausting, and using Wind Cutter so early hadn’t helped. She needed to end this soon.

The two arms below the skirt were out of commission. Once she made it above the skirt’s opening, the witch would have to reposition to attack, and that should buy her time. Unless the witch had any other tricks up its sleeve. But Risa was planning to play it safe. A few more leaps, and she grabbed a clothesline level with the witch’s waist. She hung there for only a moment, quickly deciding what to do. The five arms up top would probably be the next threat, and she wasn’t confident she had enough Wind Cutters to take them out. But if the lower arm had caught fire, then hopefully the uniform would too.

“Team attack, Oboro. Ready?” The fox gave a short howl in reply. “Hold on!”

Risa swung herself around the clothesline to build momentum. The witch turned to reach at them with its top arms instead, but it was too late. Risa let go of the cord and launched herself upward, righting herself midair. She crossed her daggers in front of her as Oboro jumped from her shoulder, embers spilling from his mouth. Near the peak of his jump, he shot three fireballs down at the witch, letting them off in quick succession. An instant later, Risa’s momentum centered her along the same line. Air currents swirled violently in front of her, creating a vortex where the blades met.

“Firestorm!” she yelled, swinging her daggers apart. The cyclone blasted outward, striking the nearest fireball and propelling it into the others. They merged and expanded, stoked by the miniature tornado, and became a spinning ball of orange flames as large as the witch itself.

The attack flared on impact, and the witch’s scream filled the labyrinth. The funnel lost rotation and dissipated, leaving the witch engulfed in roaring fire. The body began to slowly. A two-part chime resonated through the sky.

Risa fell as well, but not for very long. The air around her wobbled, and she touched down on terra firma. Oboro landed in front of her. The labyrinth disappeared, vanishing like a mirage. She was back at the school. And in front of her, a black jewel wrapped in silver filigree dropped steadily to the ground.

Dispelling her weapons, Risa wiped her brow and headed over to collect her reward. She hadn’t expected their attack to be that powerful. She’d figured it would at least need some refinement. But the results spoke for themselves. Now, in addition to the precision strike that was her Wind Cutter, she had a devastating Area of Effect attack. It reminded her of Mii’s absurdly powerful fire spells. The ones only Maple, “The Walking Fortress,” could withstand.

She reached down and picked up the dropped item, the witch’s remains. So this was a Grief Seed? She studied it for a second, noting its shape. She could feel echoes of the witch’s magic inside.

Wait. She felt another magic too.

Her eyes widened in alarm, and she hurried to her feet. In the garden area bordering the path, a girl dropped from a nearby tree. Risa clenched the Grief Seed in her fist. Oboro stepped in front of her protectively.

“You know, it’s rude to hunt in someone else’s territory.” The girl crossed the threshold and emerged from the tree’s shadow into the moonlight, stopping only a few meters away.

The first thing Risa noticed was that the girl was already transformed, although it didn’t look like she’d summoned her weapon yet. She wore a white and gold outfit, with brown boots and corset. A pillbox cap rested on blond hair done up in ringlets. The next thing she noticed was how strong her magic felt. Not to mention the words she used. Hunting? Territory? Definitely experienced. The last thing she noticed was the girl’s expression: a thin mask of a smile, pretend kindness not even attempting to hide what was really there.

Suspicion. Anger.

This girl was ready to fight.

They stared each other down, and Risa had only seconds to decide what to do and how to respond. If she were Sally, she’d probably give a witty reply and go down fighting. But she _wasn_ _’t_ Sally right now. She was Risa. Dying over a Grief Seed didn’t seem like a good idea, no matter how badly she needed it. Her usual approach was ill-suited for this kind of situation. Kaede was always the one de-escalating and building bridges, not her.

But she had to try.

Biting back her pride, she slowly raised her hands, loosening her fingers to show the Grief Seed peeking through. She felt a small swell of relief when the girl’s expression downgraded from open hostility to plain caution. Risa chose her words carefully. “I didn’t realize this area was yours,” she said. “I’m not from here. I just came looking for a Grief Seed.”

She must have said something wrong because the glare returned. “That’s exactly the problem,” the blonde said. “Mitakihara is already under my protection. Kyubey would have told you that, but you came anyway. Which means you’re clearly trespassing.” She stopped, head tilting down. “Is…Is that a fox?” Her tone changed, as did the look on her face, as if completely caught off guard by what she was seeing.

Risa didn’t know how to handle the abrupt shift. Her arms lowered to her side. “Yeah, it is. His name’s Oboro.” The girl didn’t say anything, clearly confused. Maybe she’d thought it was Kyubey? Then again, maybe it was just Oboro’s appearance. It wasn’t every day you saw a domesticated white fox, especially one with a strange forehead marking and a shimenawa collar.

At any rate, this girl suddenly wasn’t so intimidating. Risa continued, pushing the opening. “Look, I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I just really needed a Grief Seed. That was my first witch since I contracted. All I kept finding back home were familiars.”

The other magical girl looked surprised. Then she seemed to notice the jewel on Risa’s breastplate. “I…see. I didn’t realize your Soul Gem was that dark. If I may ask, when did you make your wish?”

“Two Saturdays ago,” she replied honestly.

The blond raised a knuckle to her chin in thought. “How strange. Did Kyubey not try to help you?”

At that, Risa laughed awkwardly. “Actually, Kyubey kinda bailed on me.” She gestured to Oboro with a wave of her hand. “Oboro really didn’t like the guy.” The fox sat and began scratching behind his ear, as if acting innocent. Risa rolled her eyes. Little troublemaker. “Anyway. I’m Risa. Risa Shiramine, third year at Shiroishi Junior High. And I really wasn’t trying to steal your kills. Let me have this one, and I’ll pay you back next time.”

The girl looked somewhat distraught, and after another confused glance at Oboro, she cleared her throat. “No, that’s okay. In fact, I think we started off on the wrong foot. I’m Mami Tomoe, third year at Mitakihara Junior High.” She paused and for the first time gave her an honest smile, if not an embarrassed one. “You’ll have to forgive me for confronting you like that. You’re the second new magical girl I’ve seen around here. I think it’s made me a little apprehensive as of late.” She nodded and gestured with an open hand. “Go ahead and purify your Gem. You need it more than I do.”

Risa smiled back at her. “Thanks.” Now it was her turn to look sheepish. It felt strange being the newbie. “But, um…how do I do that?”

This time Tomoe chuckled. “Just hold the Grief Seed next to your Soul Gem.”

“Got it,” she said, summoning her Soul Gem back to its jewel form as Oboro returned to her side and sat by her feet. Then, with Oboro and Tomoe as onlookers, she held out her palms, Soul Gem in one hand, Grief Seed in the other. Sure enough, she watched (and even _felt_ ) the dark miasma being siphoned from her Gem. It didn’t take all of it, but it removed enough for her to feel noticeably lighter, for her magic to feel a good deal stronger. Not long after the process began, the transfer stopped on its own. The jewel was now a healthier, brighter color, and the Grief Seed swirled with energy.

“The amount of magic a Grief Seed can restore is limited,” Tomoe began. “Normally they can be used a few times, especially if it was a stronger witch. But with the state your Soul Gem was in, it’s not surprising that this one was used up. May I?” Risa nodded, and Tomoe slowly closed the distance between them. Then she carefully took the Grief Seed from her hand. “Used Grief Seeds will turn back into witches on their own, so we have to give them to Kyubey to take care of. I’ll give him this one next time I see him.”

Risa smiled at her. “Thanks, Tomoe. I really appreciate it.” Her Soul Gem rematerialized onto her breastplate, as Tomoe stepped back to give them both space. “I’ll swing by sometime with a new Grief Seed to pay you back.”

“That’s a kind offer, but it really is unnecessary,” she said gently. Then her smile became a thoughtful frown. “But what will you do if you still have trouble finding witches?”

Risa shrugged. “Start looking somewhere else, I guess.”

Tomoe looked troubled at her answer. “You’ll run into more magical girls that way. Most of the nearby cities already have one. Some even have a few.”

She would have questioned the statement had Tomoe not sounded so certain, like she was speaking from firsthand knowledge rather than hearsay. If witches and magical girls really were that prevalent, why hadn’t she run into a single one before tonight? It was frustrating, and just more bad news for her, especially if witches didn’t start appearing back home. “It’s not like I have much of a choice,” she said with a grimace.

“True.” The blond looked down, as if thinking something over. “You said you’re from Shiroishi? How far is that from here?”

The question caught her off guard. “About an hour by train.”

“That makes sense. And it’s to the west, if I remember. Why didn’t you stop in Kazamino?”

“I just figured there’d be more witches in bigger cities,” she answered honestly. “Why? Should I hunt there next time?”

Tomoe frowned. “No, you should avoid Kazamino if you can. But that’s not what I meant. I was just wondering why you came all the way to Mitakihara.” Then she offered Risa a warm smile. “Actually, I have an idea. If you’re going to be traveling anyway, why not come back here? I don’t mind sharing if we can keep things civil.”

Risa blinked in surprise, the offer seemingly coming out of nowhere. She tried to be skeptical. It didn’t last long. From what she’d seen so far, this girl wasn’t the duplicitous type. Heck, she’d let a complete stranger have a Grief Seed from her territory, just because she needed it. She wasn’t just nice, she was _too_ nice _._ It was like Kaede instantly forgiving Kasumi for attacking them during the second event. Okay, maybe not with same air-headedness as her friend, but still.

“Are you sure?” Risa asked. “Wouldn’t that cause problems for you?”

Tomoe shook her head. “Not at all. In fact, I was thinking we could work together. Mitakihara has a lot of witches, after all, so it would be a good arrangement for both of us.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “And there may be more of us soon. There are two other girls with potential. Friends of mine, actually.” She paused, seeming to come to a decision. “They’re coming over Saturday for tea. Why don’t you join us?”

A tea party invite? Not exactly how she expected the night to end, although it really did drive home just how trusting this girl was. Though it’s not like she was wrong about Risa’s intentions. “What do you think, Oboro?”

She looked down at the fox, who was already padding over to Tomoe. The girl noticed and knelt down, and the fox circled her once before pressing his head against her palm. He barked happily.

Well, if Oboro was on board, then she was too. “I guess that settles it. I’ll give you my number, and we can keep in touch. That way you can send me the details for Saturday.”

Tomoe smiled back at her. “Sounds perfect.”

A minute or so later, Risa had given Tomoe her mail and number, and Oboro was once again sitting on her shoulder. “Thanks again, Tomoe. I gotta get back home, but I’ll see you Saturday, okay?”

The blond nodded and waved, and Risa took off at a leisurely pace, heading back to the train station and thinking about how tonight turned out. She’d fought a witch and found her first Grief Seed, so already it was a massive success. She’d also found her first magical girl ally. Maybe even a partner, if she was reading the girl right. Maybe a whole team, if those other girls contracted. It wasn’t a substitute for Maple Tree, and there’d never be a duo like Sally and Maple, but this dynamic could be fun in its own way.

Things were really looking up.

* * *

After the events of the previous night, returning to school felt like a welcome reprieve, like a post-tournament cool-down where she could just relax and take it all in. She’d come across a tough familiar, an even tougher witch, and a surprisingly kind although originally intimidating magical girl, all in one night. Much more eventful than she’d planned, but it had worked out all the same. Now, with a cleaner Soul Gem and a weight off her shoulders, it was nice to be back to the usual. Her parents didn’t seem to suspect anything—they hadn’t mentioned anything that morning, at least—so they must not have noticed she was gone. Another win in her book. Although, to be honest, she had to wonder how magical girls kept this double life secret from their parents. For some reason, it felt like every magical girl anime she’d ever seen (though admittedly she’d only seen a few) completely undersold just how difficult that part was. Sneaking around, fighting evil, and not getting caught? How on earth did most magical girls do it? Absently, she wondered if Tomoe had any insights there.

She also cheered inwardly that she’d finally found another magical girl to talk to. The feeling was like meeting someone else who played your favorite game. Saturday suddenly felt like it couldn’t come soon enough.

Of course, if there was one person she wished could be a magical girl with her, it was the girl moping in front of her.

“I can’t believe Payne just reached level eighty,” Kaede sighed. “I’m not even level fifty yet.”

They were waiting for the morning bell and for first class to begin. Kaede was at her desk, Risa sitting atop the one in front of her. Ever since the third event, they’d made friends with The Order of the Holy Sword and The Flame Emperors, but Kaede’s rivalry with Payne seemed more intense than ever. This wasn’t the first time this week that Kaede had mentioned Payne’s spot on the leaderboards, and Risa scanned them herself once every few days. But even for her, that was a bit of a surprise. He’d been level seventy-six last she looked.

Payne may not have had Maple’s ridiculous luck or her nearly game-breaking skills (Risa still wasn’t convinced that some of those hadn’t been intentionally added to the game in hopes of Maple finding them), but there was no denying the guy had commitment. He was determined to surpass Maple, and the NWO community argued back and forth on which one of them was the better player.

To Risa, it was pretty obvious.

“Is it really that big a deal? So what, if he’s ahead in levels? You beat him in the guild battle with a thirty-level gap between you two, dummy.” She affectionately knocked on her friend’s head. Kaede pouted.

“But what if he gets stronger and beats me next time? I haven’t found any more skills since Machine God.”

Risa laughed. “Trust me, you’ll find some. Knowing you, your next one will probably turn you into a giant lava golem or something.”

Kaede laughed too. “I hope not. That wouldn’t be cute at all.”

Risa eyed her with a raised brow. “Oh, and Atrocity is cute?”

Her friend blushed. “Kind of?”

“No way! You only think that because you haven’t seen how terrifying you are when you use it.” Risa’s phone buzzed from the pocket of her skirt. She made a mental note to check it during class. “Besides, Machine God isn’t cute either.”

“It’s cool though, isn’t it? At first I wasn’t sure, but now I’m really glad I found it.”

“I bet,” Risa chuckled. “Guess I’ll just have to settle for inventing fake skills over here.”

Kaede shook her head, a determined fire lighting in her eyes. “Nu-uh. We’ll find you a new one for sure. Oh, that reminds me! I took Yui and Mai on a quest the other night. We had to help this scientist collect materials for an invention of his, and when we finished, he gave us two new accessories.”

“Oh? What were they?”

“Frost Gloves and Lightning Gloves,” she said excitedly. “It was perfect for them. Now their melee attacks do elemental damage too!”

Risa laughed. “I should have known you’d find something like that. But you’re right, it suits them. They really have come a long way, haven’t they?”

“Yep,” she cheered. “They’re so much fun. I’m really glad they joined Maple Tree.”

“Same here.”

Of course, Mai and Yui were probably the ones happiest to be a part of their guild. No one else in Maple Tree knew just how much the guild meant to those two. The twins had confided in Risa, telling her that they’d been thinking of quitting back when Kaede had scouted them. That they hadn’t been improving. That they didn’t have any friends in the community. That she found them just in time. Kaede probably didn’t realize just how much her kindness helped people, in game _and_ in real life.

It was one of her best qualities.

The teacher entered the room, and the bell rang not long after, signaling the start of morning class. “All right, quiet, quiet. Back to your seats everyone,” the teacher called.

Kaede pouted again. Risa pat her on the shoulder. “We’ll talk more at lunch, okay?” Her friend nodded.

When she crossed the room and returned to her seat, she subtly checked her phone. It was a text from Tomoe.

– _Good morning, Shiramine. I take it you got home safely last night?_

Risa typed back a reply and tucked away her phone.

– _Yep, no problems. Still okay if I come over tomorrow?_

Although, now that she thought about it, it was kind of an odd question. Sure, middle-school girls traveling at night was usually a bad idea, but the normal dangers didn’t really apply to magical girls. Was Tomoe already worried she’d run into another witch or something?

It was a while later before she got a reply, although it made sense considering they were both in class right now. Most of the texts came in the interim between lectures, but their conversation continued over the next few hours.

– _Of course. We_ _’re planning to meet at my place at 3 PM. Do you think you can make it?_

Risa thought about that one. It was kind of towards the late end of the day, but it shouldn’t really interfere with her plans. She just had to be back for dinner, after all.

– _3 PM works fine for me._

– _Great! I_ _’ll send you my address._

Sure enough, a Mitakihara address followed.

– _Got it, thanks. So what should I expect for Saturday? You said there are other girls coming?_

– _Yes, two girls from my school. They_ _’re a year younger than us. We’ll have tea and snacks, and then maybe go on a small hunt if they’re feeling up to it. I think it would also be a great chance for us to try working together._

Risa wondered what kind of weapon Tomoe used, what kind of combos or team attacks they could devise. Throw Oboro in the mix, and the possibilities became even more interesting. Maybe Tomoe had some sort of element-based magic, like Risa’s wind or Oboro’s fire. She didn’t really know what kind of powers magical girls could possess, and it’s not like she had any experience to go on. She could always ask, but felt it might be more exciting to see it herself.

– _Count me in._

– _Glad to hear it. There are two things I should probably tell you, though._

– _What is it?_

This time, Risa was almost caught by the teacher and slid her phone in her pocket as quickly as she could. Thankfully, she didn’t receive any more messages until around lunch time while she was eating with Kaede.

“Risa, if you keep texting in class, you’re going to get in trouble,” Kaede said with a worried frown.

“It’ll be fine. I’m a master of stealth, remember?” She glanced at her phone. This one was a fairly long message, so she opted to ignore it for now.

Her friend looked unconvinced. “Still....” Kaede trailed off, letting it slide even when it obviously bothered her. “Who were you talking to, anyway?”

“Just someone I met recently. This girl from another class.” Technically true. “She might be joining New World Online soon, so I’ve been giving her some tips and stuff.” Flat-out lie. Although part of her wondered if Tomoe played video games or might be interested in trying. Going forward, if hunting in Mitakihara continued to go as smooth as it did last night, maybe Risa would actually have time to play NWO regularly again.

“We should invite her to Maple Tree!” Kaede said with a beaming smile.

Risa shook her head with a laugh. “Let her get some experience first. Like I said, she doesn’t even play yet.”

“Fine,” Kaede huffed. Then her eyes widened. “Oh! I just remembered something I wanted to ask you.”

“What’s up?” She took another bite from her bento.

Kaede tilted her head with an excited smile and asked, “Did you get a dog recently? I heard one in the call last night.”

Risa almost choked on her food. Almost. “Oh, that? Nah, some web page just auto-played a video.”

Kaede sank in disappointment. “Awww.”

“Come on, Kaede. You know my mom would never let me get a pet. She’d say I’d just ignore it and play VR games all day.” And to be honest, that might have been true at one point, as loathe as she was to admit it. She’d never thought of herself as an animal person. Bonding with Oboro had definitely changed that.

Her friend nodded in understanding, and they moved on to other topics. Mostly NWO, but they talked about classes and homework too. When lunch was over, Risa and all of the other students returned to their seats, and class resumed. But before it did, Risa managed to get a look at her phone and see Tomoe’s latest message.

– _One of the girls has a great deal of magical potential. More than anyone I_ _’ve ever met. You’ll understand when you meet her, but please don’t say anything about it. I don’t want her to feel pressured into making a wish._

Okay, easy enough, she figured. Actually, that was pretty considerate of her. Her respect for the Mitakihara girl rose some more.

– _No problem. I_ _’ll keep it between us._

– _Thank you. And as for the other thing, it_ _’s actually a bit of a warning._

Risa didn’t know how to interpret that. She also didn’t know what the proper response would be, so instead of asking, she decided to wait. When she looked at her phone, an icon in the corner showed Tomoe was currently typing. A minute or two later, she got a new text.

– _There_ _’s another magical girl already in Mitakihara. She showed up fairly recently, and…she’s not exactly kind. She may even be dangerous. I admit I don’t know much about her. Kyubey doesn’t either. He says he never contracted her._

Risa frowned. Never contracted her? That didn’t make any sense. Wasn’t Kyubey the one to create magical girls in the first place?

– _Is that even possible?_

– _Apparently it is. Since you_ _’ll be in Mitakihara more often, I figured you should know_. _But don_ _’t worry about it too much. If it comes to a fight, I can handle her. Just avoid her if you can._

So, there really were hostile magical girls too. Ones that probably fought others and stole Grief Seeds. She’d have to be on guard, just in case.

– _Good to know. Thanks for the advice._

– _Any time. :)_

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. When school let out, she and Kaede walked home together, talking about their planned sleepover and where they should go in Level Three. Kaede apparently had been reading up on some of the scenic areas available, and Risa had to admit, after all the magical girl excitement, she’d probably be A-Okay with just relaxing and exploring. Their fun detours back in Level One seemed like forever ago.

It wasn’t long before they parted ways, and after Risa made it home, she greeted her parents and went up to her room. Once the door was closed behind her, she sat on her bed and summoned Oboro from the ring. The fox appeared on the floor but immediately jumped into lap.

“Arf!”

Risa put her finger to lips with a barely contained smile. “Shhhhh!” she chastised, petting his head. She pulled out her phone and decided to send another text to Tomoe.

– _By the way, thanks again for letting me keep the Grief Seed. It meant a lot. I_ _’ll text you tomorrow when I’m on my way._

She waited for a few minutes, setting her phone on the covers and playing with Oboro. From under the bed, she retrieved a knotted rope toy she’d bought with her allowance and played a bit of tug of war before letting him have it. The next phone alert came, but it was from Kaede: a selfie with her VR headset on and the victory sign.

Her friend was such a dork.

Tomoe hadn’t responded, but Risa figured she was probably busy. With Oboro settling in her lap, she looked over at her own headset and gloves, wondering if she had time to play a little. Probably not. She had a backlog of homework and studying to do for Monday, and tomorrow was going to be an all-nighter anyway. Best to get the work out of the way now.

Moving Oboro to the pillow, she grabbed her bag, went to her desk, and removed her binders and school tablet. Apparently unsatisfied, Oboro pulled her pillow to the floor and dragged it over to the desk. Then he set it beside her chair and lay down on top of it. She reached down to pet him again.

“No witches or familiars tonight,” she said. It was a welcome change, having a clean Soul Gem. Not feeling the pressure to sneak out after dark or come home late from school making excuses. For the first time since she contracted, she could finally relax.

Sitting back up, she turned on her tablet and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well THAT was longer than I expected. Had a change of heart at where to split the chapters up. No regrets.
> 
> Okay, some regrets.
> 
> Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for reading! Hope you look forward to what's to come.


	3. Chapter 3

It was strange, she thought, how they always managed to find little-known hideaways to call their own. Places that became extensions of their guild home, like the rocky plains where everyone showed off new abilities, or the waterfall area where they played and relaxed before the fourth event. Frederica _had_ interrupted them that time, but she’d been back with Mai and Yui since, and it really seemed like no one else knew of it. Offhandedly, she wondered if there was a way to claim such areas in the name of Maple Tree.

Now they’d found another, a sunken glade near the cave where Chrome earned his Bloodstained Armor. She sat cross-legged on a plateau overlooking the clearing, a turtle on her head, a fox in her lap, and she waited with an ecstatic grin. Below stood three of her friends, Chrome and Kasumi on one side, Sally on the other, facing off with weapons drawn.

It was Sally’s first day back in weeks, and Maple had a front-row seat to her return debut.

At last, the word “BEGIN!” appeared on her screen, and Sally launched herself at her opponents. Kasumi lunged as well, planting her feet just as Sally neared and countering the girl’s daggers with two swings of her katana. Her third swing aimed for the midsection, and Sally hopped back just in time. But Chrome had taken the chance to flank her while she was focused on Kasumi. He charged forward attempting to bludgeon her with his great shield, but she leapt over him and sprinted at his back. He turned and guarded her slash, then swung at her with his own sword. She parried, kicking him in the chest to knock him away, and dodged another incoming strike from Kasumi. The battle quickly became a flurry of attacks and counter-attacks, neither side gaining a clear advantage.

Maple watched and cheered from above, with Syrup and Oboro occasionally adding their voices to hers. Kasumi and Chrome worked really well together, and Sally was as agile and graceful as always. Even with her two-week hiatus, her reflexes hadn’t suffered in the slightest, and from Maple’s perspective, it looked like Kasumi and Chrome were on the defensive. It felt wrong to pick sides since all three of them were her friends, but she secretly hoped Sally would win. Seeing her like this, fighting two on one in top form, Maple started to believe that Sally could win against anybody.

The battle continued, the three dodging and attacking so fast that it was hard to keep up. Eventually though, Sally found her opening. “Godspeed!” she yelled, and in an instant, she’d circled in behind Kasumi, ready to strike.

“Cover!”

Her dagger clashed with Chrome’s shield and before she could pull away, Kasumi pivoted about Chrome’s right side, her sword cutting upward in a sweeping arc. Sally nimbly sidestepped the swing, but Kasumi followed up with more, forcing Sally back as she dodged or blocked the attacks. Just when Sally looked to have distanced herself enough to reset and go back on the offensive, Kasumi used a sudden boost of Godspeed, dashing forward with her blade held low at her hip, ready to swing.

The next thing Maple saw was Kasumi standing well behind Sally, lunging stance and sword extended. Sally was motionless. Maple watched in stunned silence.

But then she gasped as Sally’s body disappeared in a haze. Her friend appeared out of thin air, crouched in front of Chrome with a gloating smirk. With little time to react, he committed to a thrust, and Sally dodged it, planting a dagger in his breastplate before leaping out of range.

Chrome fell to the ground, his body pixelating and dissolving away.

But there was no time to relax. Sally flipped sideways into a back-handspring, narrowly avoiding an onslaught of earthy debris racing towards her. When she landed and steadied herself, facing off with Kasumi once again, a long fissure stretched form the Kimono-clad samurai to where she’d been standing. “Almost had me,” Sally said with a grin, “but it’s over now.”

Kasumi smiled back and readied her sword. “I agree. Origin Sword: Void!”

Her black hair turned white and her eyes red. As Kasumi vanished, Sally closed her eyes and lowered into stance, armed with a lone dagger.

Maple held her breath, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Kasumi appeared to Sally’s left, katana already mid-swing. Sally’s eyes snapped open, her foot sliding back, right arm arcing as she pivoted. There was a massive clang. Then a crack. The two stilled, holding their stances. Maple’s eyes widened.

A long piece of metal landed several feet away, embedding itself into the ground. A moment later, the two fighters relaxed, both taking a deep breath and standing upright to face the other. Kasumi smiled ruefully and bowed her head. “I concede,” she said.

The text appeared on everyone’s screens with a short fanfare. “WINNER: SALLY!”

The girl laughed in relief, sheathing her weapon. “Whew, that was crazy close!”

“Sally!” Maple hurried down the hill as fast as zero agility would allow, with monster companions in tow. “That was amazing!” She stopped by them, Oboro jumping out of her arms and into Sally’s. Maple smiled and picked Syrup off her head to hold to her chest.

With the sparring session officially over, Chrome rematerialized beside the three of them. “Honestly, you’re a monster just like Maple. We didn’t stand a chance, did we?”

Sally grinned, slightly abashed. “Nah, you two make a great team. I haven’t sweat that much since the Holy Sword fiasco.”

Maple suddenly had a worrisome thought. “But Kasumi, what about your sword?”

“It was just sparring, Maple,” answered Sally. “It’ll regenerate any second now.” Kasumi and Chrome nodded knowingly as the two pieces of Kasumi’s katana disappeared in a shower of particles. Then the hilt of the blade manifested anew atop her scabbard. Sally’s remaining dagger also reappeared, strapped at Sally’s waist. Maple gave a grateful sigh as Sally turned to address Kasumi. “I’ll admit, that last part had me worried. Didn’t think you’d use Void on me.”

Now Maple was confused. “Isn’t it a strong skill, though?”

“It is, but it’s also a risky one,” Kasumi clarified. “A prolonged duel wasn’t in my favor. So I gambled on a critical strike. But to do so, it sacrifices weapon and armor durability.” She smiled back at Sally. “That said, Sally is the first person to ever block that technique.”

Chrome chuckled. “And here we thought you’d be rusty after being away so long.”

“Nope. Still got it.”

“Maple says you’ll be back tonight. Will we see you two at the guild house later?”

Sally shrugged. “Maybe off and on. We’re gonna go exploring, but we might drop in from time to time. Are you two leaving?”

“Yeah. I need to log off and get ready for my shift,” Chrome said. “I’ll be back later tonight.” Maple was slightly disappointed that they weren’t joining her and Sally on their walk back to the guild.

“I’m afraid I must be going as well,” Kasumi replied. “It was good seeing you again, Sally. Farewell, you two.”

“Same. Thanks for the match, guys.”

“See you later!” Maple said, waving them off. Then their bodies dispersed per the usual log-off animation, leaving just Maple, Sally, and their monster companions. Oboro was on Sally’s shoulders, and Maple had to admit, it was good to see the little fox again. She’d missed him over the past couple of weeks, and she was pretty sure Syrup did too. As much as an NPC could, she supposed.

Although Oboro had been weirdly affectionate today. It was nice—all those little touches the programmers put into the game.

As they began their walk back to the guild, Maple filled her friend in on the upcoming event Sunday. This time it was teams of four instead of guilds, all competing at different mini-games. After that, Sally shared rumors about a few notoriously difficult quests and speculated on the rewards. Occasionally, Maple noticed Oboro looking at her from Sally’s shoulder, which was kind of strange. Syrup meanwhile was sleeping in her arms, being adorable as always.

Eventually, they found themselves back at the place their small guild called home: a cozy little lodge fashioned from a towering tree stump, tucked away in the forest. Back when they’d first stumbled upon it, Maple had found herself charmed by its almost fairytale appearance, with its wooden front door at its base and a few windows peeking out from the upper floors. Now just as then, it waited for them, late morning sunbeams filtering through the canopy and onto the pale bark.

The two entered the guild with Maple announcing their return. At the lounge table, Kanade was overseeing a game of Othello between Mai and Yui. A game that was quickly abandoned as the sisters ran to greet them at the entrance. Out of the corner of her eye, Maple saw Kanade save the board game’s state before placing it into inventory.

“You’re back!” Yui cheered.

Mai greeted them more soberly, but smiling nonetheless. “How did it go?”

“It was lots of fun! I’m so glad they added friendly PVP.” Maple walked over to put Syrup on the table, and Oboro jumped from Sally’s shoulder to join him there. The two monsters began to play around and tussle leisurely. “Good morning, Kanade!”

“Morning, Maple. Welcome back, Sally.”

“Good to be back.”

“Who won?” asked Yui.

Maple smiled and answered, “Sally did,” as her friend nodded with a proud grin.

“Yep. But it wasn’t easy.”

Yui giggled. “That’s because we keep leveling up without you.”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t rub it in.” She pointed at Mai’s hands. “Are those the new gloves?” Sure enough, Mai and Yui had their newest accessories equipped, complementing the armor that Iz had made them. Mai’s gloves were onyx black with branching white lines across the palms. Yui’s were white with three silver circlets on each finger and a single silver band wrapping around the gloves’ center.

Yui smiled and grabbed her sister’s hand, raising them to show Sally the new items. “Maple helped us get these. They give us a small strength boost and the option to add elemental damage. Mine are ice, and Mai’s are electricity.”

Sally nodded approvingly. “Nice find.” Then she looked around as she took a seat near Oboro. “Is Iz here?”

“She’s at her workshop,” said Yui. “We’re supposed to meet her there later.”

Mai continued where she left off. “She asked us for help gathering materials.”

“New equipment orders?”

Yui was the one to answer, shaking her head. “It’s for these blueprints she found in Level Three. But she won’t tell us what they’re for.”

This wasn’t the first Maple had heard of this. In fact, Iz had requested Maple’s help earlier in the week for the same reason, but she’d kept her in the dark just like the twins. Still, Maple’s intuition told her it was either an ultra-rare accessory or an upgraded explosive for her arsenal.

Sally apparently came to a similar conclusion, chuckling in exasperation. “She wants to show it off at the next combat event, doesn’t she? Looks like everyone’s found new gear while I was gone.”

“That’s right, Sally,” Maple teased. “If you’re not careful, you’ll fall behind.” Mai and Yui giggled at the claim, while Kanade smiled in quiet amusement.

“Okay, okay. I promise I’ll start playing more.” Then Maple heard the far-off voice of Risa’s mother through the microphone. Sally sighed. “Starting tonight, I guess. Sorry guys, I gotta head out. Oboro?” Without missing a beat, the fox bounded back over to Sally and leaned into her open hand. His body then shone white and dissolved into Sally’s ring. “See you at my place later, Maple.”

She nodded. “Bye, Sally.” Mai and Yui said bye as well, and Kanade sent her off with just a wave. Then Sally logged off, disappearing just as Chrome and Kasumi had earlier.

The twins looked between her and Kanade. “We should probably be going, too.”

“Level One is pretty far away for us.”

That’s right, Maple realized. She’d slowly forgotten the frustration of the long travel times that accompanied a low Agility stat. Ever since she’d had Syrup learn Psychokinesis, it hadn’t really been a problem for her. She could go almost anywhere just as fast as other players. Sometimes even faster.

“Did you want me to take you there with Syrup?” she asked, but Yui and Mai declined the offer, saying they didn’t want to impose, and that they would still be early if they left now. Maple tried to convince them, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The twins left Maple Tree with a final wave.

And then it was just her, Kanade, and Syrup.

Slowly—though she really did try to fight it—without the others around, her smile disappeared. She saw Kanade looking at her sympathetically, gesturing to the seat across from him. Maple just looked at the ground as she made to join Kanade at the table, and her monster companion began his slow crawl towards her as she settled into the chair.

She didn’t realize acting normal would be this difficult.

“No progress?” her friend asked.

Maple shook her head, crossing her arms on the table. “She won’t tell me what’s wrong. I keep trying, but she always changes the subject.”

She hadn’t told anyone else. Her friends had all saw her mood slip at one point or another, and they all told her not to worry. They told her everything would be fine, and she pretended it would be and carried on. But Kanade, when he had caught her sulking, offered to help. Asked to hear her out. And so she had confided in him.

The mage hummed thoughtfully. “I can guess the reason she won’t tell you.”

Maple straightened and looked at him. “You can?”

He responded with a confident nod. “She doesn’t want you to worry.” Maple deflated immediately. It was probably true, she realized, but it didn’t answer any of her questions.

“That just makes me worry more.” She hated feeling this way. Risa was her closest friend, and it was obvious something was wrong. Sure, she’d felt better at school the other day, seeing Risa smile brighter than she had all week. And then during the spar with Kasumi and Chrome, to watch her in her element, fighting to win, having fun playing their shared favorite game; Kaede could almost believe things were back to normal. But a day or two of normalcy didn’t negate the worrying signs she’d seen all week. The placating smiles. The occasional outbursts, followed immediately by apologies and awkward laughs. The barely visible rings under her eyes, hidden behind concealer.

She crossed her arms on the table and sighed. “How am I supposed to help her if she doesn’t tell me what’s wrong?” That was what bothered her most. She kept trying to get Risa to open up, but nothing worked. All she ever received was evasion and empty reassurances. And it hurt to be shut out like this; to know that her friend wasn’t okay. The last few days especially, it felt like all she could do was wallow in this feeling, wondering why Risa couldn’t be honest with her. Trying not to draw conclusions that would make her feel even worse.

“Isn’t that normal, though?” She raised her head, puzzled at the question, and found him smiling with his usual confidence. “I haven’t known her for very long, but it’s clear Sally tries to do too much on her own. She’s the kind of person who doesn’t ask for help.” Maple wanted to say that wasn’t true, but…now that she thought about it, maybe it was. “But even if she doesn’t ask, you decide to help her anyway. When she gets in over her head, you show up to support her.”

Was he referring to that time during the Guild Battle? “But that’s just in New World Online,” she said.

Kanade shrugged. “Why should it be different in real life?” He summoned a book from his inventory, floating it gently to the table and opening it as it fell. “Maybe she’s not ready to talk about it. Or maybe she isn’t sure how to ask. Either way, I think you’ll find a way to help her. It’s how you two are.”

“But…” She trailed off, not sure how to argue. She looked away with a frown, wondering how to explain that it couldn’t be that simple. A new silence stretched over them. One only interrupted by the occasional turn of a page or a cooing from Syrup. Her monster companion had crawled into the crook of her arm, and she gently scratched his chin while reflecting on Kanade’s advice. She still wasn’t sure what to do. But there was one thing she knew he was right about. If Risa was in trouble, then she would be there for her. She’d find a way. Maybe that was all that mattered.

Slowly, her smile returned.

“Thanks, Kanade.”

* * *

Risa Shiramine was nowhere close to being an authority on magical girls, real or fiction. She remembered watching a few magical-girl anime when she was younger, but it was a short-lived phase, quickly replaced with her budding interest in video games. Maybe that explained why so many of her assumptions had been upended since making her wish. Or maybe she should never have expected TV and reality to line up.

Then again, TV and reality turned out to be closer than she could have guessed. Anime one, normalcy zero.

One thing in particular she’d gotten wrong, and realized fairly quickly, was that transforming wasn’t necessary to use magic. It made it easier, for sure, but the two weren’t strictly linked. No matter what form she took, or what form her _Soul Gem_ took, her magic was always there. Changing and strengthening her in a number of ways, even without conscious effort. An inextricable part of her.

Because of that, this was one of the few times she could enjoy the more mundane benefits of magic. It was nearing one o’clock, and at the moment, she was walking back home from the store, a half-dozen bags in each hand, all packed to the brim. What began as a simple after-lunch shopping trip turned out exactly as she predicted: her mother texting her every few minutes to add something to the list. At some point, she’d even received a message from her father, asking if she needed him to come pick her up with the car. She’d told him she’d be fine. Now she was nearly home, no worse for wear. Half an hour of lugging heavy groceries might have been rough a few weeks ago, but having magic changed that. Now it gave her a good excuse to relax and enjoy the fresh air.

And more importantly, to think about her meeting with Tomoe soon.

Thursday night had been her first interaction with another magical girl, and it had gone…about as smooth as she could have hoped. But then she’d agreed to meet said girl at her own home, with two uncontracted strangers. _Supposedly_ uncontracted. And of course, the more she thought about it, the more she began to worry.

What if the meeting was a trap? A trick to lure her into an ambush. It felt absurd to think that, mostly because it just didn’t make any sense. She’d outright admitted that she didn’t have any Grief Seeds. What would someone gain from doing that? The best answer she could come up with was less competition, but they lived in different cities anyway. Not to mention, Risa originally hadn’t planned on going back. She’d even said as much. The points didn’t line up.

But even so, she couldn’t push the thought away.

Then there was the other girl Tomoe had mentioned in her messages. The magical girl who'd never contracted. At least, not with Kyubey. Could she have contracted with someone else? Had she just assumed Kyubey was the only one out there granting wishes? Maybe she was part of a different faction. Maybe Tomoe knew more than she was saying and had her own reasons to pit them against each other. Or maybe she really was dangerous, and Tomoe was telling the truth.

Later last evening, she’d finally received a reply from Tomoe. An apology for the delay, and also a vague explanation. Some sort of confrontation with the mystery girl. Risa didn’t press for details; Tomoe said she’d explain more today. But it was still one more unknown atop all of the others.

She didn’t know what to believe. Even if all she had to go on was Tomoe’s word, she wanted to trust her. The Mitakihara girl had been willing to overlook Risa hunting on her turf, after all. Then she’d invited her to a tea party. A _tea party_ , of all things. Sure, it was _possible_ those were the makings of some veiled plot against her. But she just couldn’t believe Tomoe was that kind of person. Even Oboro seemed to like her, and given how fiercely protective her monster companion was, that was a pretty convincing point in her favor. If she couldn’t trust her own judgment, she could darn well trust Oboro’s.

No, odds were that today’s meeting was going to be just a normal get-together between magical girls. It _wasn_ _’t_ a trap. She was just being paranoid. That was the simplest explanation.

So why did she still have such a bad feeling about this?

The worries and negative thoughts followed her home, try as she might to quell them. On her doorstep, she took a deep breath and, as best she could, buried all of it in the back of her mind. She’d have another hour during her trip to think things through. Now wasn’t the time.

Risa announced her return as she entered, and her mother met her in the foyer, hurrying to take some of the bags off her hands. “I told your father to go get you. I swear, you’re as stubborn as he is.” She shrugged it off with a smile.

“I told him I could handle it. Besides, you always say I should get out more.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

With the remaining bags, she followed her mother to the kitchen, stopping briefly as she passed by the den. From the television came the rustle of a large crowd and the announcer’s voice calling the plays, but the volume was too low to make out the words. Her father sat in the lounge chair at the far side. “How’s the game going?” He raised the book he was reading in response. “That good, huh?”

“The best they’ve played all year,” he said, a wry smile stretching from ear to ear. Risa chuckled and continued down the hall, joining her mother in the kitchen. Together they laid the bags out and began to unpack their contents.

“Mrs. Honjou called while you were out. She’ll be bringing Kaede by a little earlier than planned.”

Risa almost stopped what she was doing, but quickly recovered. “Did she say what time?” She grabbed a few dry items and headed to the pantry.

“Around six.”

She tried to keep from frowning. Dinner was normally at seven, give or take fifteen minutes. She’d just lost nearly an hour for her trip. “Cool. So she’s joining us for dinner, then? What are we having?”

Her mom hummed a confirmation. “I thought I’d make that curry she liked from last time.”

“Sounds good to me.” When it came to home-cooked meals, Risa wasn’t too picky. But curry was one of Kaede’s favorites, and from what she’d told Risa, Kaede’s mom was a…less than stellar cook, to put it gently. She’d have to take her word for it, considering that, the few times Risa had eaten over there while visiting or staying the night, it had always been take-out.

Probably not a coincidence.

“Will you two want the living room tonight? I think your father bought some new movies.”

Risa walked to the refrigerator with the cold produce in hand. “Nah, we’ll probably just be in my room playing games.”

“I still can’t believe you’ve pulled Kaede into your addiction,” her mother said. “You’re not pressuring her, are you?”

Risa rolled her eyes. “I’ve told you, it’s not like that. There’s just this one game that’s really popular. And Kaede plays it more than me now.”

“I somehow doubt that.”

“Well it’s true.” Especially now that she had daily magical girl duties.

Her mother sighed. “I just wish you wouldn’t spend so much time in your room. Whatever happened to baseball? You were so good at it.” Risa just shrugged.

“Baseball was always Dad’s sport.” With everything separated and put away, she grabbed the remaining bags and placed them in recycling bin for plastics. “I’m heading back upstairs. Can you call me down when Kaede gets here?”

“I will.” She started for the stairs, and her mother called after her. “Just try to take a break every once in a while.”

“No promises!”

She took the stairs two at a time, then strolled down the hallway to her room. Opening the door, a white ball of fur immediately jumped from her bed and came to the door to greet her. “See?” she whispered. “Told you it would be fine.” She closed the door behind her and reached down to pet the little fox. Normally he rested in her ring and traveled with her. This was the first time she’d successfully convinced him to relax in her room and wait for her return.

Walking to her desk, she pulled out the chair and turned on her monitors as Oboro bounded up on the desk to sit beside her. With a few keystrokes, she opened the NWO forums and settled into her seat.

Even though the game had taken a back seat recently, she still tried to stay on top of current news and developments in-game. That meant looking into everything from release notes to general chit-chat in the community. The game’s main webpage was hosted by Square Inix, the company behind New World Online and a bunch of other fantasy RPGs. It contained a merch store, company news, patch notes, and miscellaneous items here and there. But the forums were located on a sister site, and that’s where you could find anything and everything. Battle tactics, tutorials, gear trading, training partners, message boards…the list went on and on. One section was devoted entirely to feature requests. Another was devoted to class and skill evaluations. Official guilds could even have their own section, accessible to members only. The main forum itself was broken into eight or so categories, with smaller subcategories splintering off from there, and the threads and discussions were so numerous and so busy that Risa had, for both her time and her sanity, restricted herself to just a few favorites.

Of course, Risa didn’t post much at all. She had an account, but she mostly just lurked, learning what she could about the current state of the game and, occasionally, about the ongoings in the community. And thankfully, as far as Risa knew, Kaede was wholly uninvolved with the active web community and had yet to stumble into these forums. Definitely for the best. Her friend would be mortified if she ever learned just how many of the “General Discussion” threads were about her.

Someone had even created a discussion called _The Walking Fortress_. That one had just broken a hundred pages. Risa hadn’t bothered trying to follow _that_ conversation.

As she scrolled through the main categories, she kept a watchful eye on her computer’s clock. “Let’s take a look,” she said, opening the news section. New items and monsters. Modified drop percentages. The addition of in-game guild rankings. Interesting, but also optional. Probably more important for the bigger guilds. And the announcement that Level Four was soon to be released. Reactions were mixed, but overall positive. Personally, Risa couldn’t wait for another level, and she knew Kaede would feel the same.

Not seeing too much else, she navigated to the “General Discussion” page. A list of recent threads opened up, and as she began to scroll, there was one title that made her do a double-take.

_ Maple to Star in TV Promo! _

Posted only an hour ago, and it already had several pages. Her cursor hovered over the link. It obviously wasn’t real. It _couldn’t_ be real. It was most likely someone’s idea of a fun prank or something. But real or not, other users were chiming in. And try as she might to ignore it, her curiosity eventually got the better of her. She clicked the title and began to read.

LegendarySword:

| 

A friend of mine knows someone on the NWO marketing team, and there are talks of getting Maple to do a TV spot at one of their studios. They might be reaching out to her as early as this week. More details to come.  
  
---|---  
  
Elven:

| 

So Maple’s gonna be on TV???  
  
packrat:

| 

Let’s go, Maple!  
  
Acheron:

| 

No way. OP is just making stuff up.  
  
spinster:

| 

Idk, it could happen. Maple’s practically the face of the game at this point. I even read somewhere that nwo has the largest female player base of any mmo. You can thank Maple for that.  
  
Mage Anon:

| 

gotta agree. doesn’t sound all that farfetched.  
  
Riftdweller:

| 

Still, might be just another Maple rumor. I’ll wait for more info.  
  
Predictably, there was nothing here after all. The only thing that surprised her was how many people believed this stuff. Like the last user alluded to, Maple was at the center of _many_ rumors. Most of them were baseless claims and wishful thinking. No evidence, just like this one.

FireHazard:

| 

I’m with Acheron. It’s a hoax.  
  
---|---  
  
packrat:

| 

Sounds more like a leak  
  
maplefan08:

| 

this would be so cool! i really hope its true  
  
Gobta:

| 

wonder if they’ll get the rest of Maple Tree  
  
Spear Anon:

| 

Not likely. They’d probably ask Payne before anyone else.  
  
spinster:

| 

What about Sally? She and Maple are friends irl, aren’t they?  
  
Spear Anon:

| 

Not confirmed, but that’s the going theory. Still a long shot.  
  
looking4gear:

| 

no one’s seen sally since the last event. i wouldn’t get your hopes up.  
  
Zwelfey:

| 

Yeah, not sure this will go anywhere, guys. Even if it’s true, Maple could still turn the offer down.  
  
spinster:

| 

Or her parents could.  
  
Codewerx:

| 

Not just that. The studio could axe the idea altogether. Might backfire on them, tbh.  
  
looking4gear:

| 

how so?  
  
Codewerx:

| 

Wouldn’t it seem like an endorsement? Other players may think the game’s rigged and leave.  
  
packrat:

| 

Dude, you’re crazy. Devs have been trying to nerf Maple since the first event.  
  
Codewerx:

| 

Just sayin’  
  
Spear Anon:

| 

Packrat has a point. The community probably won’t see it that way. And given Maple’s popularity, losses could be easily offset by new players.  
  
Codewerx:

| 

I’m not convinced. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.  
  
Risa skimmed through the rest of the page, but didn’t bother going on to the next one. The author of the thread hadn’t contributed beyond that first post, and everything else was just chatter and speculation. No sense wasting any more time on it. She closed her browser and looked down to find Oboro lying next to her arm. Smiling, she reached to pet his head, eyes wandering back to the clock on her computer screen. “Looks like it’s time. Ready to go?” Oboro let out a hushed bark in reply. She smiled at him, and with a brief white flash, he disappeared into her ring.

Only one thing left to do. On her computer, she booted up an old fighting game she used to play. Bot vs bot, no timer, infinite health. Volume low but still audible through the door. That should keep her safe for a few hours. Then she crossed the room and opened her window. This would be the first time she had ever snuck out in broad daylight. In the future, she should probably craft some believable alibi to get out of the house, but for now…well, nothing ventured.

Next stop, Mitakihara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! I know this chapter is a little slower paced, but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. I didn’t feel like I would be doing the story justice to rush things. Unfortunately, there are also a few kinks I need to work out with the overall plot, but the next chapter and the ones after should come quicker once I do.
> 
> I tried including a bunch of Maple rumors and conspiracies, but I just couldn’t make it flow, so I scrapped it. Maybe I’ll find a place for it down the road.
> 
> Anyway, quite a few characters make an appearance next chapter, so stay tuned! Things are about to get fun.


End file.
